COURT: 2 EXTRA JUDGES NEEDED

Because Palm Beach County has too few judges to keep up with the increasing number of criminal and civil complaints, the Florida Supreme Court is recommending that the Legislature fund two more judicial positions.

The recommendation calls for one additional judge each for the Circuit and County courts. The Supreme Court justices also said a need exists to increase the number of judges in the 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach from nine to 10.

To support the recommendations, the state's highest court Wednesday pointed out that by the end of 1985, Palm Beach County's population will have increased by 50 percent since 1975.

Overall, the West Palm Beach courthouse is the fifth busiest in the state, the justices said.

Consequently, courthouse administrators have depended on retired judges and County Court judges to help clear some of the Circuit Court dockets.

The Supreme Court also found that many cases being heard in Palm Beach County are more complex than those in other parts of the state.

And on the County Court level, where traffic violations and small claims are heard, Palm Beach County has the highest ratio of trials per judge of all Florida's urban areas.

Palm Beach County Chief Circuit Judge Edward Rodgers said the recommendation for two additional judges in 1985 was what he requested. But the Supreme Court denied the county's request to recommend that another two judicial posts be funded in 1986.

However Rodgers was optimistic that this time next year, the Supreme Court will find that the need exists for the additional judges in 1986.

"Traditionally we have been pretty lucky in getting what we recommend," Rodgers said.

While Palm Beach State Attorney David Bludworth has repeatedly requested another Circuit Court judge be assigned to handle criminal cases, Rodgers said no decision about future placements has been made.

The recommendation to put another judge and two law clerks on the appellate court that serves Palm Beach and Broward counties, as well as several smaller counties to the north, was based on the developing backlog.

No District Court of Appeal in the state has a larger number of pending cases than the one based in West Palm Beach. A contributing cause is the many appeals filed on the Gold Coast involving complex civil issues that take more time to wade through and decide, the court said.

Because of the backlog, attorneys in fewer than 50 percent of the pending cases are allowed to give oral arguments to a panel of DCA judges. And a large percentage of cases are decided without providing an attached written opinion.